Photonics IC Validation and Characterization Engineer (AI Photonics)

Location: Bay Area, United States; on-site

Company

hirify.global is building NuLink, a proprietary die-to-die chiplet interconnect fabric for AI infrastructure at hyperscale.

What you will do

• Perform high-speed electrical and optical testing of photonic integrated circuits, including optical modulators, laser sources, photodiodes, drivers, and TIAs, using instrumentation above 20 GHz.
• Design and build laboratory setups with light sources, detectors, fiber-coupling and collimating components, microscopes, oscilloscopes, function and waveform generators, and translation stages.
• Build and run test automation, analyze measurement data, and present results to engineering and cross-functional audiences.
• Correlate raytracing and image-formation results with SNR, OMA, and ER simulations and measurements.
• Debug optical, electrical, and software measurement setups and devices, and provide structured feedback to analog circuit designers on silicon performance, design quality, and operating margins.
• Contribute to test plans, characterization reports, and laboratory documentation.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience.
• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Exposure to wireline analog and digital signal-processing concepts, including CTLE, FFE, DFE, SNR, OMA, and ER.
• Hands-on laboratory experience and a strong interest in high-speed testing and measurement.
• Experience with high-speed and optical test equipment, including fast lasers, optical receivers, optical and electrical spectrum analyzers, AWG, BERT, oscilloscopes, DCA, DSO, VNA, and LCA.
• Hands-on experience with VCSEL, DFB lasers, photodiodes, SerDes, or optical I/O characterization.
• Fluency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with RF and microwave engineering, as well as high-speed substrate and PCB design and manufacturing.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time, on-site engineering work in the Bay Area.
• Hands-on work with instruments, real photonic devices, and high-speed optical and electrical tests.
• Direct collaboration with analog circuit designers and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Artificial intelligence tools may support parts of the hiring process, while final hiring decisions remain human-led.